NYSERDA announced today that more than $7 million has been awarded to projects bringing together solar and agricultural activities in New York State. Through NYSERDA’s Environmental Research Program, more than $2 million was awarded to four projects to demonstrate the potential impact and benefits of using the same land for renewable energy generation from solar panels and active agriculture. In addition, a $5 million grant was awarded to Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to build agrivoltaic projects at the agricultural experiment stations. Together, the demonstration and research results from these projects will support a broader understanding of the costs, benefits and market potential for agrivoltaic energy as part of the clean energy transition and economic growth in New York State.
An agrivoltaic installation. Credit: SolarEdge
“We are proud to work with farmers, developers and research partners to advance projects that support solar energy as a resource to produce energy in New York State while supporting agricultural operations for economic growth. By exploring different ways to integrate agricultural operations and clean energy sites, we will increase our understanding of the costs, benefits and market potential of locating two essential industries in the same space,” said Doreen M. Harris, president and CEO of NYSERDA.
Agriculture is a critically important sector of New York’s economy, with more than 33,000 farms spread across approximately 20% of the state’s land area, or nearly 7 million acres. Farmers, many of whom are struggling, have expressed interest in the potential of solar energy to create an additional income stream to help stabilize farm income and maintain farming operations. TheNew York State Agricultural Land Protection Working Groupunder the supervision of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGM), has recommended that the state explore the joint use of land for renewable energy generation and agricultural production with the potential to play a significant role in meeting New York State’s future energy and agricultural development needs. These awards demonstrate NYSERDA’s commitment to developing information and tools that support decision-making in communities and engaging property owners considering co-use opportunities for agriculture and renewable energy generation to help them preserve their land and stay in business.
The awards support the integration of both new and renewed solar energy and agricultural activities, such as those involving grazing, animal feed or specialty crop production. Researchers, solar developers, farmers, nonprofits and local governments were eligible to submit proposals including solar site design, marketable agricultural commodities, estimates of projected agricultural production and solar energy generation.
The awarded projects include:
- New York Power Authority received $750,000 to develop a 1.2 to 1.5 MW solar array that could power approximately 230 New York homes annually on nearly 40 acres of State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology’s Cobleskill campus in Schoharie County, using raised panels for grazing livestock in rotation with growing corn, spaced to accommodate traditional harvesting equipment.
- K&MH Martens Farms received $185,000 to integrate agrivoltaics into the development of a 300 kW solar array for a microgrid to support an on-site grain processing operation. The project also aims to use the solar panels to maximize shade benefits for grazing dairy cattle, improve soil productivity and extend the growing season for cool-season grasses, while using construction processes that protect soil and farmland in Yates County.
- Lightstar Renewables received more than $515,000 for a 3.2 MW solar array to produce electricity to be fed into the grid, equivalent to the electricity used annually by approximately 725 New York homes. The structure features increased solar panel spacing to allow for continued hay production and harvesting on one to two acres of new vegetable farms in Orange County.
- United Agrivoltaics received $750,000 to demonstrate the addition of swine, poultry and specialty crops to existing solar sites in Cortland, Schuyler, Tompkins and Niagara counties, which already produce 15.85 MW of community solar energy and total more than 100 acres.
These projects will allow NYSERDA and researchers to understand the costs, benefits, and lessons learned related to agrivoltaic energy and share data that can be used to develop best practices. NYSERDA calls theNew York State Agricultural Technical Working Group(A-TWG), an independent advisory body composed of farmers and agricultural stakeholders, solar developers, government agencies and non-governmental organizations, to responsibly advise and guide efforts to promote solar energy development in support of New York State’s agricultural operations, farmlands, farmers and communities. The A-TWG commissioned the reportGrowing agricultural voltaics in New York Statepublished in 2023 that identified opportunities and constraints associated with the increasing adoption of agricultural voltaic projects in New York State. The A-TWG also provides input on theScorecard for smart solar installationswhich is used to evaluate applications for utility-scale solar projects for avoidance and mitigation of agricultural and forest areas. NYSERDA, in ongoing consultation with the General Assembly and the A-TWG, will study the results of awarded agrivoltaic projects to understand the opportunities and market potential for agrivoltaic energy in New York State.
NYSERDA also announced that it has awarded a $5 million grant to Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) to build agrivoltaic projects at the Agricultural Experiment Station sites in the Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes. These sites will conduct long-term research on dual use of solar energy and agricultural practices across a range of growing conditions and crops relevant to state agricultural producers.
CALS Hudson Valley Research Lab, in the hamlet of Highland, will build an approximately 300 kW solar array on approximately two hectares, above high-density apple orchards. Specialized sensors and controls will enable manipulation of solar panels for sun and shade preferences and for crop protection against frost and hail weather conditions. The electricity produced will be used for the activities of research laboratories and excess energy will be supplied to the local electricity grid.
In addition, CALS will build an approximately 900 kW solar array on the Cornell University campus in the city of Ithaca, and operate a tracking system on approximately seven acres. Plantings within the solar panel include traditional annual vegetable, field and perennial forage crops. The system is designed to mimic conditions in a variety of solar panel configurations and will enable research in a range of disciplines including plant genetics, soil health and water management strategies associated with agrivoltaic solar energy. The electricity produced from the solar panels will feed the Cornell campus electrical grid. CALS will also evaluate agrivoltaic construction at its Cornell Agri-Tech research farm in the city of Geneva.
New York Power Authority President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll said, “Agrivoltaics projects balance the need for additional renewable energy capacity with the conservation of cropland. Farmers are the backbone of New York’s rural communities, and funding for projects like these is important as we strive to advance our understanding of this innovative technology that can improve agricultural productivity while contributing to the energy diversity of our state’s electric grid.”
News release from NYSERDA
